Popular, traditional and contemporary Chinese music performed on GuZheng (zither) by the lovely Zhang Ling Ling; with other musicians in supporting roles.

?Small Town Story?, Zhang Ling Ling`s world debut, focuses on GuZheng performance. The GuZheng, a plucked instrument with movable bridges that are used to tune anywhere from 15 to 25 strings, is considered the ?parent instrument? of the Japanese koto, Mongolian yatga, Korean gayageum, and Vietnamese đàn tranh. The modern GuZheng usually has 21 strings.

The title track, ?Small Town Story? was originally made popular throughout modern Chinese society by the late Taiwanese pop legend Teresa Teng. Other tracks include the very famous ?Butterfly Lovers` Story?, ?The Moon Represents My Heart? (another Teresa Teng classic), ?Laughter From the Sea? (a well known Hong Kong movie theme) and the traditional ?Fisherman`s Song at Dusk? among others.

Ling Ling, not only plays GuZheng, but sings on a number of tracks. She plays a number of trio pieces with two of her GuZheng students, these ensemble pieces especially, having a beautiful resonating quality.

The final track on the record is played not by Ling Ling, but by her teacher, Luo Jing (principal GuZheng of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra) who appears as the ?finale? guest artist. This astounding virtuoso work entitled ?Battling the Typhoon? was written during the Cultural Revolution in order to boost the morale of the masses?? For the audiophile, this is perhaps the most interesting as the dynamic range and transients are pretty amazing!

?Small Town Story? is available only in MA`s ?Emerald Audiophile Disc? format.

*MA's "Emerald Audiophile Series"discs are actually made with a dark green polycarbonate, to help alleviate the potential problems associated with internal light refraction and enable a more accurate reading of the digital data from the optical disc, delivering the music with more finesse, and ultimately the original intention of the performer(s) and producer.

For an enhanced musical experience, MA invites you to audition our"Emerald Audiophile Series"